Anyone fitted the SVP single mass flywheel to their Cayman?
Discussion
The dual mass flywheel on my 06 Caymans S has given up after just 35,000 miles, and needs to be replaced.
I am seriously considering the single mass flywheel conversion offered by SVP, as featured in 911 & Porsche World last month. Has anyone actually fitted this to their own car? Details here: http://www.specialistvehiclepreparations.com/cayma...
I understand you may get some more low speed vibes through the transmission and will not be able to let the engine labour as much, but that is actually a good thing IMO. On the plus side, there are less moving parts to fail (again), it's lighter which is always good and means less inertia, which should allow the engine to spin up faster too. So, it should be a little less refined but a lot better drive, apparently.
Whatever route I take, I will be replacing the clutch too - prevention is better than cure! If I go with the SVP option I will fit an uprated Sachs clutch, which should retain the standard clutch effort at the pedal end.
Anyway, would be interested if anyone has done this themselves or has any experience with this option.
Cheers,
Mike
I am seriously considering the single mass flywheel conversion offered by SVP, as featured in 911 & Porsche World last month. Has anyone actually fitted this to their own car? Details here: http://www.specialistvehiclepreparations.com/cayma...
I understand you may get some more low speed vibes through the transmission and will not be able to let the engine labour as much, but that is actually a good thing IMO. On the plus side, there are less moving parts to fail (again), it's lighter which is always good and means less inertia, which should allow the engine to spin up faster too. So, it should be a little less refined but a lot better drive, apparently.
Whatever route I take, I will be replacing the clutch too - prevention is better than cure! If I go with the SVP option I will fit an uprated Sachs clutch, which should retain the standard clutch effort at the pedal end.
Anyway, would be interested if anyone has done this themselves or has any experience with this option.
Cheers,
Mike
I can't see how a SMF can cause premature engine failure? A DMF is designed to suppress vibrations from the engine through the drivetrain, not the other way round - the gearbox is driven by the engine, so cannot create its own vibrations as such.
I could see the argument for increased driveshaft wear, and potentially more vibrations transmitted through to the gearbox, however this should only be apparent if the car is driven badly, i.e. the engine is put under unnecessary load at low revs, something I don't do anyway, DMF or not.
I believe the 997 GT2 and GT3's have SMF straight from the factory, so I guess they are more suited to a 'hardercore' vehicle but I don't think that's such a bad thing in a standard Cayman anyway, it's always been held back a bit and this might release a bit more of its potential - win win (hopefully)!
Surprised no one else on here has had this done, though?
I could see the argument for increased driveshaft wear, and potentially more vibrations transmitted through to the gearbox, however this should only be apparent if the car is driven badly, i.e. the engine is put under unnecessary load at low revs, something I don't do anyway, DMF or not.
I believe the 997 GT2 and GT3's have SMF straight from the factory, so I guess they are more suited to a 'hardercore' vehicle but I don't think that's such a bad thing in a standard Cayman anyway, it's always been held back a bit and this might release a bit more of its potential - win win (hopefully)!
Surprised no one else on here has had this done, though?
Evening all - thanks for all the opinions, links, etc! I've read through them all and spoken to Dominic at SVP, his response to my queries (and the thread linked above) are as follows:
"I understand your concerns, it all depends on the quality of the flywheel, we have had some of the A****** ones in from the states which are pretty poor quality, riveted together and no weight at all, thats why ours <is machined from solid and> weigh 6kg so there is still a flywheel effect on the engine, there are no harmonic issues with these, we have probably run them for over 30,000 road miles now and over 3 seasons in race cars with not one single issue, internet can be a dangerous place, you can find negatives or positives to just about anything you want to find."
and...
"Correct you have to fit a sprung clutch with a single mass flywheel unless its a full race car. We put a 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty on everything we do, you wont have any issues with these at all."
I'm pretty tempted to go for it!!
"I understand your concerns, it all depends on the quality of the flywheel, we have had some of the A****** ones in from the states which are pretty poor quality, riveted together and no weight at all, thats why ours <is machined from solid and> weigh 6kg so there is still a flywheel effect on the engine, there are no harmonic issues with these, we have probably run them for over 30,000 road miles now and over 3 seasons in race cars with not one single issue, internet can be a dangerous place, you can find negatives or positives to just about anything you want to find."
and...
"Correct you have to fit a sprung clutch with a single mass flywheel unless its a full race car. We put a 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty on everything we do, you wont have any issues with these at all."
I'm pretty tempted to go for it!!
Guys, guys, guys...it's the internet, chill out!
For what it's worth, I found the thread linked from the other forum really useful, it prompted me to question SVP further on something I didn't know a lot about, and the answers that came back have given me more confidence in going ahead with the SMF.
Having said that, last night I was thinking there's nothing "wrong" with the standard DMF and, having never driven a Cayman with a SMF fitted, I am tempted to stick with standard - it's £100 cheaper too (not a major concern to be honest!), so less risk and cheaper = win win I guess. I can't decide, but car is going over this afternoon so need to make a decision soon!
For what it's worth, I found the thread linked from the other forum really useful, it prompted me to question SVP further on something I didn't know a lot about, and the answers that came back have given me more confidence in going ahead with the SMF.
Having said that, last night I was thinking there's nothing "wrong" with the standard DMF and, having never driven a Cayman with a SMF fitted, I am tempted to stick with standard - it's £100 cheaper too (not a major concern to be honest!), so less risk and cheaper = win win I guess. I can't decide, but car is going over this afternoon so need to make a decision soon!
OK, after much deliberation I have decided to stick with a dual mass flywheel and go with that, my reasoning being:
1. I have no intention of tracking the car (my trackdays are all on my motorbike!) and therefore won't really benefit from the improved throttle response
2. For road use, the additional low down torque from the heavier flywheel is beneficial, particularly heading into winter (e.g. moving off from a standstill on snow/ice without minimal revs!)
3. The car was designed to work with a DMF and I don't know or understand enough about the SMF option to decide if the benefits are worth the risk
Will hopefully have my car back midweek!
1. I have no intention of tracking the car (my trackdays are all on my motorbike!) and therefore won't really benefit from the improved throttle response
2. For road use, the additional low down torque from the heavier flywheel is beneficial, particularly heading into winter (e.g. moving off from a standstill on snow/ice without minimal revs!)
3. The car was designed to work with a DMF and I don't know or understand enough about the SMF option to decide if the benefits are worth the risk
Will hopefully have my car back midweek!
Gassing Station | Boxster/Cayman | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff